Provision of Development Site Former Duchess School Alnwick

Description

Northumberland is the most northerly shire county in England and covers a large area of 400,000 hectares from the Tyne and Wear conurbation to the Scottish Border and has a population of 320,000 people living in approximately 130,000 households. It is one of the least densely populated counties in England. Over half of the population lives in less than 5% of the land area in the southeast of the County adjacent to the Tyneside conurbation where the main centres of commerce and industry are located. This part of Northumberland contrasts sharply with the sparsely populated rural areas in the north and west of the County where agriculture dominates. The distinctive character with several contrasts makes it difficult to summarise; a mix of prosperous commuting towns extending along the Tyne Valley, market towns, relatively deprived ex-coalfield areas and an extensive area of scattered smaller settlements to the north and further west. The county’s population is forecast to increase to circa 339,400 by 2043 with an ageing population. The 2021 census shows that in the previous decade there has been an increase of 28.9% in people aged 65 years and over, this trend is set to continue. Nearly a third of our population will be over 65 years by 2031, with the greatest increase in those over 80 years old. The number of people aged 75 and older living alone is projected to increase by more than 65% by 2030 and those aged 85+ are projected to increase by 109%. Females have an average life expectancy of 83 years and males 79 years. Over 41,000 older people in Northumberland live on their own. Over 98% of the county’s population is White British. Alnwick is the main principal town of the former Alnwick District and is a main market town within Northumberland, readily accessible to the A1 on the strategic road network. It had a population of 10,332 at the time of the 2021 census. Site Details The land is owned by the Council and is the site of the former Duchess Community High School in Alnwick. It is set to the north-western edge of Alnwick, comprising of now vacant land benefitting from an access to the south-east from Howling Lane. The site is split into two, spatially separated by a pedestrian route that spans between them adjacent to allotment gardens. The site is central to the town and has access to the high street within a 10-minute walk. The following documents are available to give specific information about the site: • A location plan of the site is provided in Appendix A of the documentation with the site boundary shown in red. • Development Brief • Restrictive Covenants • Drone photographs of the site • OS Map • Local Plan settlement boundary At this point we are making developers and Registered Providers aware of the vision and the opportunity and seeking expressions of interest which will form the basis of how the council approaches the next stage. Lot 1: The project vision is the development of the 15-acre site for a lifetime homes community for older residents. This is to include a key focus on Independent Supported Living for older people including the delivery of dementia friendly homes. The project will deliver high quality accommodation that demonstrates an innovative approach to supporting independence making best use of technology - Innovative assistive technology systems that support increased independence to enable tenants to undertake daily living activities independently. Smart home technology should be incorporated into the design that supports the needs of the client group enabling the individual to live with the limited amount of one-to-one attention as possible, a less intrusive and more dignified life. The units are to be appropriate for the site and in keeping with the local area. Economic growth and sustaining a valuable care and support workforce is a key ambition, supporting intergenerational living and working. The Council is clear that care and support needs an innovative approach which promotes independence. We are looking for homes with designs, management strategies and initiatives that will enhance the health of residents. For example, incorporating and expanding upon the latest HAPPI principles. Consideration should be given to people living with dementia. It is envisaged there would be a mix of tenures; affordable rent, private rent, affordable home ownership and market sale. A pre-app planning application will establish the affordable housing requirements. Policy guidance can be found in section 7 of the Northumberland Local Plan 2016 – 2036, adopted March 2022. This sets out minimum expectations for affordable housing but does not prevent additional affordable homes being provided. We are looking for solutions that give the double wins of increased resident independence and more cost-efficient care and support. The Council is seeking the views of developers and providers of supported accommodation for older people. Northumberland County Council’s Extra Care and Supported Housing Strategy sets out the Council’s commitment to increase the level and choice of supported accommodation for vulnerable adults across the county. The Strategy is currently being refreshed and the updated version will be available in June 2023. The Council’s ambition is to make the best possible use of the space available, its location and the potential to create a vibrant and innovative hub of services and support for the wellbeing of the residents, and to develop the long term and long-lasting gains which a creative development could bring about for the town. The Council also has aspirations to create public car parking, affordable and community-led housing on the site. Expressions of interest would be looked on favourably if these uses could be incorporated. A future procurement would potentially be for the development, design and construction to deliver the vision.